Transfer of Training and Its Relationship with Reasons for Participation and Realization Factors – A Study of ICT Training Among Teachers of a Public Secondary School in Malaysia

Abstract

In this technological era, computers are used to solve various problems. One use of Information Communication Technology (ICT) in Teaching and Learning (T & L) is through the use of computers. It was observed that an increasing number of schools in Malaysia are now undertaking training to develop skills in the use of ICT in teaching and other school activities, including classroom management. Therefore, to ensure that teachers bring their skills to actual classroom teaching, transfer of training among teachers who attended the ICT training program is very important as they need to transfer the learned knowledge to their students. Hence, this study is aimed to determine the effects of the reasons for ICT training participation and factors obstructing realization of ICT training towards the transfer of training among teachers. Based on eighty teachers surveyed in a public secondary school of Malaysia found that both reasons for participation and realization factors were signifi cantly related with transfer of training among teachers who had attended ICT training. This study therefore indicates that careful considerations should be taken in ensuring interference issues being handled properly in designing ICT training among teachers so that transfer of training be achieved successfully. 23.1 Introduction Nowadays the Information Communication Technology (ICT) is very important to everyone. In the globalization environment and knowledge-based society, the intellectual individual is an emblem and symbol of society (Wang 2013). In this technological era, computers are used to solve various problems. One use of ICT in Teaching and Learning (T & L) is through the use of computers. In Malaysia, the knowledge and use of computers in schools is growing. Therefore, the transfer of training for teachers who attended the ICT training program is very important so that they can transfer the learned knowledge to their student. At the same time the association between the reasons of participation for teachers attending the ICT training program will infl uenced the transfer of training. On other hand, factors that obstructing the ICT training programme to be realized shall also affect the transfer of training for teachers in school. On 2013, Malaysia's Ministry of Education had improved and changed the vision towards sustaining quality education system in order to develop individual potential to fulfi l national aspirations. So that, the ministry wants to transform the education style by using ICT in all primary and secondary schools in Malaysia. Therefore a new role for schools and teachers emerges, namely as far as building of learning environments is concerned – where the ICT constitutes an integrand meaningful part. In addition, these learning environments are favourable to the development of meaningful learning to the teachers, when they are part of challenges that only the teacher can face. Hence, teachers need to equip themselves with knowledge-based information and communication technology for the use of ICT in teaching and learning process in schools. Most of schools in Malaysia are equipped with all ICT infrastructure facilities such as projectors facilities, internet access as well as a computer lab, and the teachers are also provided with their own laptop. It was also observed that an increasing number of schools in Malaysia are now undertaking training to develop skills in the use of ICT in teaching and other school activities, including classroom management, to ensure that teachers bring their skills to actual classroom teaching. For example, South Korea's teacher training objectives are all directed towards developing the skills of teachers to use ICT in teaching Korean, English, Social Studies, Science, Ethics, Mathematics, Music, Art, Gymnastics, and Economics. In some country like Singapore has offered their teachers to attend higher level teaching pedagogy ICT training program. While some of the Intel-funded countries have started their training programmes by integrating subjects in schools with ICT-based lesson. The differences in training objectives or thrusts are not only found between countries but also within a country itself. The original training strategy gets watered down due to the huge numbers of teachers to be trained and lack of time and M.K. Omar et al.